One of the elements of Hip-Hop is break dancing. B-boys and B-girls have been dancing to break beats and specific Hip-Hop songs since the 80’s. Dancing has been a part of Hip-Hop from the beginning. In the 2000’s, creating dances became the popular thing to do. The dances that are being created now are completely different from spinning on your head on a cardboard, but they can give your song a boost on the charts.
Soulja Boy introduced a dance craze in 2008 with his song “Crank Dat (Superman).” The song became a hit on YouTube, receiving over 27 million views. The YouTube video led to Soulja Boy being found by Mr. Collipark and signing a record deal to Collipark Music record label. “Crank Dat” is the first song ever to sell 3 million digital copies in the US. Soulja Boy established the formula for creating a successful dance record in Hip-Hop and introduced a new way to finding talent. Soulja Boy was one of the first YouTube stars to make it big. Without the “Superman” dance, Soulja Boy would not have become as big as he was.
There have been countless numbers of songs with dances attached to them. Some of them have become popular enough to infiltrate pop culture. Dances like “the dab”, “the whip”, “the nae nae”, and “the hit them folks” have become the latest dances trends. Those dances make the songs associated with them great. Just imagine if “Stanky Legg” or “Teach Me How to Dougie” did not have a dance to go with the song. Dances give people something to do when they listen to those songs.
Creating a dance that accompanies a song has been a guaranteed way to getting a hit. There are a few steps that need to be done. First and foremost, have an easy to do dance. That is the main component of a successful dance record. If it’s too complicated, then people will not do it and your song will not get the leverage it needs. Try to make the dance something kids can do. After you have a dance, create a song around it. A catchy instructional tune is usually the best way to go. Silento’s“Watch Me” is a good example. The running man challenge is another prime example of how a dance can boost a song to unimaginable heights. After you have a dance and a song to match, teach it to as many people as possible and create a video. If your dance is cool and the song catches on, you can go viral. Pop culture eats up anything that goes viral. You may even end up on Ellen too.
Whatever a new dance goes viral the songs that are attached to it gain popularity s well. Adding a dance makes a song more marketable. Dance records and the dances are needed and provide a dynamic to Hip-Hop that appeals to a broader audience.
